INITIUM
by 5asha
Summary: A short one shot. Puppyshipping. Fate can be mysterious at times, but this time it is quite blatant on what it wants. She'll have Jounouchi and Kaiba pair up even if it means she'll drown the world to do so!


Author Notes:

Initium is Latin, which means "beginning".

I wrote this story for a very close friend of mine. I miss you tons and thank you so much for drawing such adorable Bakura fanart for me, and thank you even more for drawing euroshipping fanart when you're such a rabid puppyshipper! ; P I hope you like this story. I've never written a puppyshipping story so hopefully it's not too blah. I love ya, Chibi-chan~

--Ai-chan

**INITIUM**

Just past the sports shed was a path that snakes through the sakura trees leading into an open savanna. There was a veranda in the center of the savanna, and because it is located on a hill showing a beautiful view overlooking Domino City's port, the water sparkling like diamonds when the sun hits just right, it is the prime get-together spot. Typically the weather is nice and many art lessons take place on the veranda—"Kissing Hut" as the students call it, since the veranda can not be seen from the main school building, thus making the veranda as the hot spot for couples to ditch class to make out.

Jounouchi currently was ditching class—"Teach', I gotta go pee! Like badly! Can I go?"—and headed towards the "Kissing Hut", but not so he can suck face. No, he went down there for a smoke, a habit he picked up in middle school when he was still in a gang. None of his friends knew, not even Honda, and Jounouchi would like to keep it that way 'cause he knew he'd get crap about it, especially from Anzu.

Just as he cleared the sakura trees, the "Kissing Hut" came into view, but so did dark rain clouds, which wasted no time to pour rapidly down—_pit pat pit pat_—forcing Jounouchi to run the rest of the way to the "Kissing Hut". Jounouchi sworn he heard a second pair of feet running just behind him, but wrote that off as an echo of his own feet.

Once he was under the shelter, and wet as fuck to loot, Jounouchi pulled out a cigarette and lit it up letting the warmth cruise through his body and relax him. He let his mind wonder to the unexpected downpour and came to the decision that it was as though God decided to break his promise after all because humans are so wicked that not even His son's blood could wash it away. And, alas, He wept. Jounouchi inwardly flinched at such a morbid thought—morbid for him, at least—before he was thrown away from his thoughts when he heard the familiar click of a lighter, and as he turned around, he was literally stunned still in surprise to see Kaiba with a cigarette between his lips.

What Jounouchi did not know was that Kaiba has been making it a habit of following Jounouchi out to the "Kissing Hut" for smoke breaks, but instead of joining Jounouchi on the veranda, he stayed behind, hidden underneath the trees. The sudden downpour—to Kaiba, it was as though God was pissing and laughing at Earth instead of weeping—forced Kaiba to take shelter underneath the "Kissing Hut".

Now here they are, two people that do not get along even on the best of days, and yet they both shared the same thoughts. _This is the first time being alone with him. Do I act like I always do and threw insults his way, or should I actually be civil to him for once? _

The two stared at each other for a long moment until Kaiba finally made a decision and nodded his head in greeting, to which Jounouchi nodded back, stupefied that Kaiba had decided to be civil, and hell, even acknowledge his presence rather than ignore him. The eye contact broke and the two continued to smoke in silence. _It's relatively nice, actually, to not be insulting each other for once,_ Jounouchi thought. Kaiba thought particularly the same thing, as the sole reason for him not joining Jounouchi under the "Kissing Hut" before was because he always suspected Jounouchi to tell him to piss off.

Jounouchi didn't hate Kaiba at first. He liked him, actually. Kaiba is wealthy, handsome, and had a pleasant personality at that time _(lies)_ and Jounouchi could not help but be drawn to Kaiba the way a moth is to a flame. The betrayal hurt. Kaiba led Jounouchi to believe that they were friends, only to reveal his darker intentions in such a cruel way. It made Jounouchi feel foolish for being so easily played (played like a naive girl that believes the man banging her actually loves her) and even after Kaiba 's mind crush _(punishment)_ Kaiba remained the same bastard and never apologized, and even worse, never even regarded Jounouchi 's abilities, or even Jounouchi at all. It made Jounouchi feel so inferior that he felt himself wanting to growl like a dog, which only makes Jounouchi 's blood boil even hotter since Kaiba 's favorite pet name for Jounouchi is _inu (dog)_.

Yet, here the two are, at ease for the first time in each others presence, and Jounouchi noticed he didn't feel impulsive hate—_hate is always electric and numbs the body_—like he usually does when he sees Kaiba. Odd. It must be the sudden change of weather that made his body and mind out of whack. Jounouchi finished his cig and looked up at Kaiba. Jounouchi felt compelled to start conversation, and before he could further contemplate the ratifications in trying such a feat, the words already poured out of his mouth. "Didn't know you smoked."

"Now you do," was Kaiba 's monotone response. Jounouchi instantly regretted saying anything; Kaiba obviously didn't want to talk. Before Jounouchi could start his trek back to class, Kaiba said, "How else can I deal with the paranormal shit?" Jounouchi felt struck dumb that Kaiba admitted that the "paranormal shit" was real, but even more so that Kaiba continued conversation. "I don't know how you and your friends accepted it so easily, so casually as though it were normal. Fuck, I lost count of the psychologists I've seen. And shit be damned on the amount of medication—most of which are fucking addicting—I've taken."

"Medication?" Jounouchi echoed. He shuddered, a combination of the cold and the intensity of Kaiba 's eyes. The eyes looked like a violent storm, and they danced vibrantly, as though battling internally the emotions on sharing something so intimate, and they were also challenging, saying if Jounouchi even muttered a word of insult the storm in Kaiba's eyes would pour out to consume Jounouchi, ensuring that rain would not be the only liquid falling, but blood, too.

"Hmmm, " Kaiba confirmed. His eyes left Jounouchi 's—and Jounouchi realized he held in his breath the whole time they held eye contact, and was relieved to suck in the clean, rain air—and stared at the crashing waves of the ocean down the hill. "I have nightmares every night since my first defeat against Yuugi. In them, monsters devour me, and it feels so goddamn real, that even when I wake up, I can still feel their teeth grinding into my flesh and bones." Kaiba paused, and his eyes became distant, as though he was suddenly transported to the land of dreaming. And he was. Those nightmares will always follow him, and it took no effort to recall the beasts' growls, the stench of decaying flesh and saliva and breath, but most of all, he can remember in great lucidity of the monster's teeth tearing into his flesh apart like a child does so easily to a Christmas present. He can feel his muscles being bitten through as though it were butter. He can feel his bones met the beast's bone (ugly teeth...yellowed and always, _fucking always_, grinning) and it's the grinding of bone against bone that bothers him the worst. Kaiba winced and prayed that Jounouchi didn't see it.

Jounouchi did, but didn't comment on it. _(It's punishment)._ Jounouchi had felt anger and a bit betrayed that Kaiba got off easily (compared to other people that got mind crushed...and so what if Kaiba was put in a coma!), but if the pale complexion and fearful—_fearful!_ he never knew that Kaiba was capable of such emotion—eyes were anything to go by then it seems that Kaiba has been punished and still being punished after all. Jounouchi felt torn at this revelation...he would think that he'd be glad—ecstatic!—that Kaiba is suffering for his bastard-ness, but somehow Jounouchi could not bring forth those feelings. No, he just felt confused that Kaiba, notorious for keeping an emotionless facade, would be sharing something so intimate. Hell, it was far more intimate than if they had sex here, under the "Kissing Hut", even. Kaiba knows that Jounouchi is dubbed—courtesy of the students of Domino High—as a loudmouth, so what the hell is Kaiba thinking on sharing such personal facets of himself to a guy that hates him? What is Kaiba 's motive(s)? Or has he finally cracked? Or maybe...he trusts Jounouchi? (What a crazy notion! Kaiba surely must get checked in ASAP! Make sure that the room is padded extra well, too!)

Kaiba flicked his finished cig butt down to the ground and echoed his previous question. "Why did _(how could)_ you guys accept it so easily? Did you guys not think for even a second that you lot were crazy?"

_(Or did fate just blind you into its shenanigans?)_

Jounouchi shrugged. "I suppose for a bit I did. It was easy to accept it."

"Remarkable. You hate anything remotely paranormal, yet when it opens its arms to you, you receive it _(accept it)_ with great enthusiasm."

_(Everyone is hypocritical)_

"It's only the spooky, evil paranormal shit that I don't like. The good paranormal stuff I see as being godly. A force of good."

"It's a double-sided sword. With the good, there must be evil, too. A balance, if you will."

"That's a very philosophical way of thinking."

"I suppose so."

"I would never peg you as a philosopher."

Kaiba smiled—smiled, not smirked (could Kaiba possibly be sick?)—and responded, "That's because you've only known one side of me. A person is like a puzzle; they have pieces of different aspects of their personality. Not all the pieces are connected the same for everyone. For instance, my puzzle is more completed to my brother, less completed to you, and even more sparse to my co-workers."

Jounouchi took time to contemplate Kaiba 's words and came to the conclusion that it was true, but one thing was nagging him, nagging him like a tick under the skin. "Why are you giving me more pieces to your puzzle?"

Kaiba locked eyes with Jounouchi again, but this time his eyes were not reflecting an internal storm. They looked naked—the vulnerable nakedness—and Jounouchi realized with awe that he wasn't looking at the familiar, the usual, Kaiba he knew, but the Kaiba that most likely only three people have ever seen. Kaiba walked closer to Jounouchi (who found to his annoyance that his breath got caught in his breath, _again_) and said in barely a whisper, "Fate."

_(Fate is a bitch)_

"I'm a bit confused. Didn't you make a huge speech during Battle City about how you make your own destiny?"

Kaiba nodded in confirmation. "I've been struggling with fate for so long that I found that it doesn't matter what road I take; the destination will always be the same."

The rain ceased, and the clouds parted, releasing the eager sunrays to hit the earth and human flesh. It was as though Kaiba 's acceptance of fate cleared the dreary weather. But what a crazy thought! Why would fate lead Kaiba to Jounouchi?

As though Kaiba had read Jounouchi 's thoughts, Kaiba cracked a weary smile, and walked even closer to Jounouchi. So close that Jounouchi could feel Kaiba 's body heat radiating off him, and he can hear Kaiba 's heart pound, which was alerting. Jounouchi gazed into Kaiba 's eyes (and goddamn, have they always been such a clear blue?) and was weirded out, confused, and a dare he say a bit excited to see Kaiba 's eyes reflect some uncertainty? (Such a rare treat! Better than your parents taking you out for a surprise ice cream cone when you were a kid!) But all thoughts evaporated from Jounouchi 's mind when he felt Kaiba 's lips met his.

It was soft at first, but when Jounouchi didn't pull away, Kaiba added more pressure, and fuck be damned, he began to move his lips, and when Jounouchi moved his lips too, a huge weight was lifted off of Kaiba's shoulders _(the fear of rejection can be so heavy)_ and he pulled Jounouchi's body closer to him. It wasn't the best tasting kiss since the lingering flavor of cigarettes remained on their breath, but they didn't care, hell, they both enjoyed it because it was smoking that brought them together in a tight embrace with wondering hands, and meeting of lips with tongues that danced with unforeseen _need_.

The kiss ended when the wind carried the ring of the school bell. They stared at each other for a moment; both cheeks blushed and eyes glinting, before they let go of each other.

"Do you want to ditch?" Kaiba asked. His voice sounded huskier than usual.

Jounouchi was about ready to say yes, but thought better of it. He still has some resentment towards Kaiba, after all, and it'll take some time to let go of his previous feelings and to trust Kaiba. "Nah. I have a soccer game after school, so I might as well stay around."

Kaiba nodded in understanding, but Jounouchi caught sight of a look of disappointment in Kaiba's eyes. "Would it bother you if I watch the game, then?"

Jounouchi was a little surprised to hear the request, but he instantly warmed up to at the offer. "No. That'll be cool, actually."

Kaiba stared at Jounouchi for a moment, as though searching for any indication that Jounouchi doesn't want him to go to his game, or perhaps searching for a sign of regret for kissing him, and finding neither he gave a small smile that even reached his eyes.

Jounouchi couldn't help but grin. This is a whole new side to Kaiba, and though he knows that it'll be rocky road to sort his previous emotions he had about Kaiba, it's worth fighting so he can see more of Kaiba's good _(and true?)_ self.

Looking up at the sky to see the formation of a rainbow, Jounouchi couldn't think of a better—yet insanely odd way— to begin a relationship with Kaiba.

_**Fin**_


End file.
